Paul Goodwin

It might not be a prize that he cares much to win but Paul Dickov today finds himself up for the Championship Manager of the Month award.

The Scot remains solely focused on steering Doncaster Rovers to safety, a feat that would only enhance his growing reputation in the game.

So with Rovers’ Championship status still hanging in the balance, and given the ‘jinx’ connotations that these awards seems to carry, he might view his nomination for March as something of an unwanted distraction.

Last month got off to the worst possible start when a 5-0 battering at Bournemouth placed a big question mark next to Doncaster’s Championship future.

But a run of four wins and a draw from the next six - including excellent derby wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United - sees Rovers heading into April confident of securing their second tier status.

Burnley’s Sean Dyche, Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe and Leicester City’s Nigel Pearson have also been nominated for the award. The winner is announced tomorrow.

But the main prize for Dickov remains survival, the target he was set by the club’s board at the start of the season.

And should he achieve it - given Doncaster’s level of resources and the takeover politics that blighted the first half of the season - his stock will rise significantly.

Dickov, meanwhile, has called for his side to re-focus ahead of Saturday’s visit of Birmingham City.

“This game has got a horrible habit of coming back and biting you on the bum,” he said. “We have to re-focus and go again.”